“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are.”
1 Corinthians 1:27-28
For several years, my friends and I hosted a luncheon table after church; the premise was, because of the lack of parking, most people would stay to attend the afternoon program if lunch was provided. It was an open table where members, non-members, and visitors were welcome. We had very lively biblical debates regarding some of the interpretations presented by our diners.
One afternoon we had a lengthy discussion concerning Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine. The discussion lasted three weeks, not counting the research, preparation, and the Internet emails between the two main debaters. It was quite interesting and both sides had some great points. However, just so you do not send me every email under the sun, my position is as the Bible states, Jesus turned the water into wine; yes wine! If we take everything else at face value in our Bible, we have to take this also. OK, with that said, I do not believe the wine was capable of making people drunk no matter how much they drank; not because the wine was mere “grape juice,” but because Jesus created it. I cannot imagine that Jesus would allow the imbibing of His wine to cast others into drunken madness. Yet, the governor at the wedding exclaimed in John 2:10, “Thou hast kept the good wine until now!”
So, as Shakespeare said, “Therein lies the rub!”
If we consume man-made alcohol, we are destined to be drunk. If you have a certain upbringing where alcohol is an integral part of your meal, you have a tradition of consumption that can lead your body organs into decay, not to mention a chemical dependency that rarely goes away. For those of us who believe, since Jesus turned water into wine, imbibing should be an integral part of our own lives, why not take it a step further and do some of the other things Jesus did? Why not spend some time healing the sick, helping the poor, or teaching the word of God to the masses. Let us not spend so much time concentrating on the wine; let us instead, concentrate on the miracle. L.
Study Reference: 1 Corinthians 1:25-28
From:"Water Into Wine." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
photo: Tony Cenicola
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